Mike Webster was an American football player who played center in the National Football League from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "Iron Mike" anchored the Steelers' offensive line during much of their run of four Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1979 and is considered by some as the best center in NFL history.

Editor’s note: The Post-Gazette first published this story on July 24, 1997. It never appeared online, and now the Post-Gazette is republishing it on the Web because of its importance chronicling the last years of Mike Webster’s life — before his downward spiral had been attributed to chronic traumatic encephalopathy. That discovery is now the subject of Will Smith’s newest film, where he portrays Bennet Omalu. Read more about the film here. For nearly two decades, ''Iron Mike'' Webster…